Aggressive dual pin track



July 7, 1964 L. SPEIDEL, JR., ETAL 3,140,127

AGGRESSIVE DUAL PIN TRACK Original Filed April 25, 1961 400/: 525/054, JR. fan 419.0 6014, JR.

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M4 zkgmfazeyb JTTOR/V'KS' United States Patent "cc 3,140,127 AGGRESSIVE DUAL PIN TRACK Louis Speidel, In, Royal Oak, and Edward J. Gow, Jr., Oak larlt, Mich., assignors to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army Original application Apr. 25, 1961, Ser. No. 105,524, now Patent No. 3,092,423, dated June 4, 1963. Divided and this application Oct. 18, 1962, Ser. No. 237,423

1 Claim. (Cl. 305-53) (Granted under Title 35, US. Code (1952), sec. 266) The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes, without the payment to us of any royalty thereon.

This application is a division of our original application Serial No. 105,524 filed April 25, 1961, now issued as US. Patent No. 3,092,423 dated June 4, 1963 for Aggressive Dual Pin Track.

1This invention relates to a track for track-laying vehic es.

More particularly, the object of our invention is to provide a connecting pin arrangement which results in a greater portion of a given track shoe width being used for grouser. Specifically, this arrangement entails the use of dual axially separated track pins integral with the track shoes in lieu of the prior art single pin connector Whose length thereof is longer than the composite length of the dual track pins. The use of dual pins enables volume previously occupied by the long single pin connector and its associated bosses to be utilized as a trap for soil which would not have ordinarily entered between the track shoes. The additional soil entrapped between adjacent shoes serves to greatly increase the traction between track and ground and insures aggressiveness of the track in all types of terrain.

A further object of our invention is to provide track pins for use with a track-laying vehicle that results in a track With no decrease in ability to absorb tensile stresses but with a high degree of grousing ability due to the small amount of space occupied by our pins.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention resides in the novel arrangement and combination of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed may be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of two connected track shoes utilizing our connecting pin arrangement.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the track shoes illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of our connecting pin with a portion of the connected track shoes being shown broken away.

FIG. 4 is a section taken through line 44 of FIG. 3'.

Referring now specifically to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates two track shoes of an endless track utilizing our connecting pin arrangement. The use of our dual connecting pins (contained within bosses 2) enables volumes 6, 8 and 10, previously occupied by the prior art single pin connector and associated bosses to be utilized as a trap for soil which would not have ordinarily entered between track shoes 12 and 14. This additional soil entrapped between ground contacting track shoes serves to greatly increase the traction between the track-laying vehicle and ground and insures aggressiveness of the vehicle in all types of terrain.

Although FIG. 1 shows specific details of the track shoe body (the portion of the track shoe with the exclusion of the pins and bosses), it is not per se to be considered part 3,140,127 Patented July 7, 1964 of the invention, and it is to be understood that this invention is not limited to use with a specific track shoe but is to be considered equally useful with shoes of ditferent designs.

Referring to FIG. 3, there is illustrated our dual axially separated track pins 16 engaging adjacent track shoe 12. The cylindrical pins 16 are provided with a weight reducing recess 18 at one end while being integrally joined to track shoe 14 at their opposite ends. The connection of track shoes 12 and 14 is accomplished by placing separable boss 2 over the pin 16. Bolts 20 and 22, shown in FIG. 4, are inserted through holes in the grouser of track shoe 12 to engage the boss 2 and the bolts are tightened. In this way shoe 12 is maintained in alignment with shoe 14.

As seen in FIG. 3, pin 16 is integral with track shoe 14 and journaled to the track shoe 12. The tensile load on pin 16 is transmitted to bearing boss 2 through the bearing 24 which is press fitted within boss 2. Bearing 24 is preferably made from a material such as Teflon or Oilite, which are both widely used for lubricating bearings. The bearing boss cavity (and bearings therein) are protected from weathering by providing a sealing ring 26 on its inner end.

Sealing ring 26 is preferably made from natural or synthetic rubber and is also press fitted within boss 2. A metal ring 28 made from a beryllium-copper alloy is joined to the inner surface of sealing ring 26 so that it is in continuous engagement with pin 16. This metal ring eliminates the friction and Wear that would occur if the rubber seal 26 directly engaged pin 16. It is noted that our dual pin arrangement requires the use of only two sealing rings of the type described above for a connection between two track shoes while a track shoe connection using the single pin connector may require many more since the pin passes completely through each boss.

The structure described above results in providing reduction of seal points to one for each pin, ease of engag ing adjacent track shoes, and a track shoe with a minimum of 40 percent of its width being used for full aggressive grouser.

We claim: 5

An endless track, embodying articulated track shoes, each shoe comprising first and second longitudinal sides, a pair of spaced bearing bosses each formed with a cavity therein being detachably engaged to said first longitudinal side, means pivotally connecting said pair of bosses on a first shoe to a second shoe, said means formed by spaced track pins integrally formed on said second longitudinal side, each of said pins being in the form of outwardly extending right circular cylinder journal portions to provide a single bearing face, said pins extending into respective ones of said bearing bosses of adjoining shoes, each of said bearing bosses being formed to completely enclose its associated pin, sealing means disposed in the cavity of each of said bearing bosses between each said pin and its respective bearing boss to seal said pin within the confines of said bearing boss, said engaged bearing bosses and pins occupying a volume that insures a minimum of 40% of said first longitudinal side being used for full aggressive grousing.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,494,568 Allen May 20, 1924 1,866,993 Benner July 12, 1932 1,956,580 Knox May 1, 1934 2,061,223 Cunningham et a1 Nov. 17, 1936 2,264,135 Kaminsky Nov. 25, 1941 

